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Mabcii 0, 1011. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



13 



NEW BOSES WORTH GEOWING. 



[Extracts from a paper by S. W. Crowell, of 

 Roseacres, Miss., read at the convention of tlje 

 Tennessee Nurserymen's Association in Nasiiville, 

 Tenn., January 28, 1911.] 



The subject of this paper is, in my 

 judgment, one of paramount importance 

 to the nurseryman who sells roses in 

 any quantity. His endeavor should be 

 to supply his customers with the best 

 roses extant that are suitable for the 

 purpose required. This end can only 

 be attained by planting and testing the 

 more promising varieties in his own 

 grounds, as they appear from year to 

 year. The time has passed when, with 

 only an assortment of cheap, indifferent 

 varieties, he may present his wares to 

 an overindulgent buying public and 

 hope to reap the full benefits there- 

 from and still retain the confidence of 

 the buyer. 



We live in an age when to stand 

 still means retrogression, and retrogres- 

 sion inevitably means elimination. Ex- 

 pansion from small things into great, 

 and from great into still greater things, 

 is the rule of progress all the world 

 over. What satisfies the wants of today 

 will prove totally insuflScient for to- 

 morrow, and the marvel which excited 

 our wonderment yesterday is today 

 calmly accepted as a matter of course. 

 The prosperity of an industry must de- 

 pend upon its healthy, constant growth, 

 and the country in which it is located 

 will increase or diminish in prosperity 

 in accordance with the success or in- 

 competent management of that indus- 

 try. It is well for the craft that the 

 buyer is now demanding the best that 

 grows — skill, proper selection of varie- 

 ties, scientific fertilization, careful cul- 

 tivation, storing and shipping — in other 

 words, the best obtainable product. 

 This is the day of good roses. The wise 

 dealer will take notice and profit 

 thereby. 



An Awakening. 



By way of illustration, I have in 

 mind a customer who must have felt 

 that a rose was just a rose, regardless 

 of name. His shop worn lithographed 

 book, which delineated in pronounced 

 colors the beauties of such sorts as 

 Prairie Queen, George the Fourth, 

 Seven Sisters and others of like nature, 

 covered the list of roses with which he 

 hoped to embellish the gardens of his 

 customers and help, in some measure, 

 to mend nature. He asked that we 

 supply a few hundred plants of Mme. 

 Plantier for a certain planting, and 

 before booking the order we suggested 

 that he use Frau Karl Druschki. He 



promptly told us that he knew his 

 business. When the order went for- 

 ward, we included ten plants each of 

 Druschki, Capt. Hayward and a few 

 other desirable varieties, and requested 

 that these be planted in his own 

 grounds and watched for results. The 

 following summer and fall there was a 

 revelation for this man. A new condi- 

 tion was about him. A new field was 

 open for greater and earnest exploita- 

 tion. He saw the writing on the wall. 

 He is now doing a profitable business, 

 besides giving every customer a rose 

 that will beautify any nook or corner in 

 which it is planted, "a thing of beauty 

 and a joy forever." 



The Need of Trial Grounds. 



If the rose grower would do his work 

 well, it is absolutely necessary that he 

 establish a trial ground upon his own 

 premises. This may be accomplished 

 without much extravagance and it is 

 not only necessary with roses, but 

 should be done with every type of fruit 

 or flower. It is only now and then that 

 we find a Coehet, Killarney or Druschki, 

 but it is the only method by which 

 actual comparison can be made with the 



older commercial varieties and where 

 all conditions are actually the same. 



To make these tests with fruits is 

 often quite expensive, but the love of 

 the work should appeal to the laborer. 

 If the task seems too arduous to him, 

 he should leave the craft and let those 

 who are willing to labor for the greater 

 good take his place. However, with 

 roses and various ornamentals the ex- 

 pense is only nominal, and no rose 

 grower or dealer should ever offer a rose 

 for dissemination until it has proved 

 worthy. This is quite necessary, for 

 the reason that the buyer is often wary 

 and does not care to make investments 

 when there is a possibility that a new 

 rose will fail to make good. This should 

 appeal to the vendor. The old path 

 that father walked, the old rut, the 

 old variety, the old woodcuts that did 

 service years ago should be laid aside 

 for the new order of things that are 

 sane and of mutual int;erest to all. 



We Must Fay for Experience. 



A new rose is always an object of 

 consideration. After it is planted and 

 proves to be distinct, the interest in 

 it is twofold. A new pleasure is found 

 and an added avenue toward material 

 advantage is given. The one makes us 

 better morally; the other fills in a 

 space that usually needs replenishing 

 with many of the craft, for the needs 

 are many. But, after all, we must pay 

 for experience, and should only one 

 good rose be found in a list of fifty or 

 even 100 varieties, the investment 

 would still be profitable, not even con- 

 sidering the knowledge obtained by the 

 experiment. And, on the othei* hand, 

 sliould our trials and experiments prove 

 futile as to dollars and cents, we owe 

 something to the creators and dissem- 

 inators of new roses. We should step 



[Concluded on page 66.] 



S. V. CrowelL 



